That bulbous pod on the starboard of the nose is meant to be a gunpod, but I suppose it could be up-gunned.

You're right, slap some cannons on the wiptips, lose the rudders and replace them with an astromech droid housing, swap the intakes for four round instead of two rectangular, change the engine configuration, shorten the nose and give it a tip, fatten the body up a bit more, and it WOULD be the spitting image of the Z-95.

The pilot's helmet links up to an oxygen system. It's one of the reasons the headrest for the swank quilted leather seat is set back so far.

The plane is really only intended for atmospheric to low orbit actions. Obviously the ability of the pilot to survive this in a sheepskin-lined coat requires a certain pulpiness to the physics of my imagination. I suppose I could always dress my pilot in more of a hardsuit, or I could pull out the 1x2 tile with the Star Wars lights and the transparent HUD and back the canopy up the two studs to meet the back of the cockpit.

The real reason is style points. I liked the longer profile it gave, I liked the suggestion of something slightly retro, I wasn't thinking convertible when I built it but I was reaching around for that something in that visceral reaction.

Zupponn wrote:I would personally say that it's more like the Hot Rod of spacefighters. Way too cool to be just a meager convertible.